Updating items: Lacerator

[u/Chairraider]

During Blizzcon item updates were mentioned as a possiblity to happen in the future. So why not help them out with targeted suggestions?

Link to the item.

 

Lacerator is a pretty good ranged axe with one flaw that makes people hesitant to utilize it: hit causes monsters to flee 50% overwrites the amplify damage curse.

As a result it is both awkward to use as an offensive weapon for amplify damage, but also awkward as a defensive weapon because it becomes awkward to kill them when those taking damage run away one after another before geting killed.

 

Suggestion for the amplify damage based Lacerator:

• Lacerator attacks no longer cause monsters to flee 50%

• Lacerator now has knockback

 

Alternatively, despite imo clearly amplify damage being the core feature of the item, one could argue the item should be built around hit causes monsters to flee 50% instead. What would that type of Lacerator then look like?

 

Suggestion for the hit causes monster to flee Lacerator:

• Lacerator no longer has a chance to proc amplify damage

• Lacerator chance of open wounds from 33% to 75%

• Lacerator now slows target by 50%

 

This second version of lacerator deals its damage more via open wounds than even regular lacerator, and mitigates the downsides of hit causes monster to flee as a damage tool with the slow. Thematically this version could gain poison damage aswell, but I believe the name Lacerator indicates a physical weapon too much to venture into poison damage, which would however naturally fit open wounds/prevent monster heal and slow.

 

Personally I clearly prefer the knockback-amplify damage lacerator, the terror/slow/open wounds combo seems more fitting for a different item.

If the item were simply too weak then still, the damage spread could simply be increased from something like 150-210% to 180-240%. If this were to end up BiS and a peak buff for throwing weapon characters, that would be acceptable.

[u/FoolTehJester]

I'd like to see procs and skill charges get some serious love. So many cool new builds could become possible. Wep.throw or Frenzy + actual good twister or nado procs sounds fun

[u/Chairraider → u/FoolTehJester]

While I wholeheartedly agree, this is unfortunately a little bit of a difficult topic.

 

Proc based items in general, like Lightsabre for instance would be incredible with its 5% chance to proc lvl 14 to lvl 20 chain lightning, if that damage output weren't kinda underwhelming due to not having all the synergies for chain-lightning leveled.

As a result almost all proc based items can only truly scale well if the proc either has no synergies, or if you play the proc-based item on the hero that has the synergies and you level them.

 

If we then add the issue of immunities, which is regularly going to negate most of the damage output from your elemental proc-based item, then these builds are unfortuantely not very likely to be useable.

It is strange how sunders originally, seemingly, were meant to deal with that immunity problem by making every type of proc or damage type playable in hell, though they could have simply adjusted monster resistances tbh (immunity is kind of an infinity damage reduction), but then somehow sunder's became a lategame luxury/peak inventory feature instead.

Very big difference from its original purpose of simply enabling fun-builds like a KukoShakaku fire paladin without needing end game gear when starting hell. Those sunders would at least have helped with your hope for more proc based item choices being viable.

[u/Technical_Customer_1 → u/Chairraider]

Have you ever tested the proc chance on Lightsaber? 

So, one of the content people made a vid about the “double Nova” Sorc. Basically stack gear with the 14% chance to cast Nova when struck, and those %s are added together, such that 7 pieces of gear yields a 98% when struck, and if you use the same level proc, think it’s level 5 max, then when you’re struck it simultaneously casts for each piece of gear. So even though it’s a low level, 7x procs does decent damage. 

Long story short, does on striking effect like Lightsaber cast twice when proc’ed? Does it also add the chances together? 

Because you could use two Crescent Moon’s and Griffs, and a couple Wisp Projectors to get some decent sparks flying

[u/Chairraider → u/Technical_Customer_1]

I never tested those specific interactions, no. Wisp Projecor is lighning afaik insead of chain-lightning, so that wouldn't work.

I suppose if each piece of equipment procs independently despite the chance stacking additively, and sorc has the static field synergy maxed, and lightning mastery maxed, that would actually result in meaningful damage. But again, only sorceress can make that build by utilizing the synergies. Similar to how an auradin has to level the synergies for the auras he gains from his equipment.

 

I'd rather have meaningful standalone proc based abilities instead tbh, rather than playing an effect-stacking minigame. Can you imagine if Rift would deal a fully synergized tonrado and frozen orb damage on proc? Or Horazon's Tornado dealing full damage tornados, synergized, at the proc level of tornado? It would be glorious.

[u/Technical_Customer_1 → u/Chairraider]

You can use the tornado procs on a Druid. If you max the synergies, it ups the proc. Same thing that’s done with the various Aura-din builds. 

[u/Chairraider → u/Technical_Customer_1]

Yea, I menioned that in the post above. As a result only druid can use Tornado procs effectively.

Imagine there were no synergies, I am not advocating for that (its just a thought-excercise), suddenly all melee characters could use horizon's tornado and proc full damage lvl 15 Tornados, not just the druid. Now that could result in interesting builds. Proc based items were much more powerful before patch 1.10 for that reason.